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WNPA
WNPA, virtual channel 3 (UHF Digital channel 22), is a NBC affiliate that serves the Isle Delfino, Mushroom Kingdom area. The station is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group and it is sister station to The CW affiliate WDBT (channel 33). History The station went on the air as WLTA-TV on VHF channel 2 on January 23, 1955; it was originally owned by Island Publishing Company along with the Delfino Review-Journal and WFDA radio (920 AM, now WMTH; and 97.1 FM, now WYCE). In September 1955, it changed its calls to WFDA-TV to match its radio sisters. It has always been an NBC affiliate, but shared ABC with WVEC (channel 11) until WIAL (channel 13) signed on in 1959. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network. In 1960, the Donrey Media Group (later Stephens Media LLC) bought the Review-Journal and the WFDA stations. In 1967, WFDA-TV moved to channel 3 in order to operate from Corona Mountain without being short-spaced to WNTF in Rogueport, which also operated on channel 2. In 1971, a group of local residents led by Isle Delfino attorney Jim Rogers began an effort to take control of channel 3. Rogers' group gained more support when Donrey began to heavily preempt NBC programming in order to sell more local advertising in the late 1970s. NBC was far less tolerant of programming preemptions than the other networks at the time. The most notable of these preemptions was the 1978 World Series, angering both NBC and several Isle Delfino area viewers, some of whom filed complaints to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Facing pressure from both NBC and the FCC, Donrey was forced to sell the station to the Rogers group's holding company, Valley Broadcasting Company, in 1979. Donrey retained WFDA radio and as a result on October 1, 1979, the station changed its callsign to WNPA. In the late 1980s, WNPA's sign-on to sign-off ratings climbed to an all-time high, thanks in part to a strong primetime lineup by NBC. On September 3, 2014, Valley Broadcasting Company announced that it would sell WNPA to Sinclair Broadcast Group for $120 million. As Sinclair already owned a duopoly in Isle Delfino, WMYD (channel 21) and WDBT (channel 33), the company planned to sell the license assets (though not the programming) of one of the three stations to comply with FCC ownership restrictions, with the divested station's programming being moved to the other stations. On November 1, 2014, however, Sinclair announced that the company would instead sell WMYD to Koopa Troop Communications, which owns WLFE-TV (channel 46) via its subsidiary Koopa Troop Stations. When the sale closes, It would create a situation in which a CW affiliate is the nominal senior partner in a duopoly involving an NBC affiliate and a "Big Four" station. Digital television Digital channels The station's digital channel is multiplexed: Analog-to-digital conversion WNPA shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 3, on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 22. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former VHF analog channel 3. News operation WNPA presently broadcasts a total of 44 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with 7½ hours on weekdays and three hours each on Saturdays and Sundays); in addition, the station produces one locally produced program: the sports highlight program (which airs on Sunday evenings after the 11:00 p.m. newscast at the 11:35 p.m. time slot.). A public affairs discussion program, which aired after the noon newscast each weekday was cancelled in November 2013 and replaced with What's Your Point? which was later cancelled. WNPA debuted a 3 p.m. newscast, News 3 Live at 3, on August 19, 2013; to accommodate this newscast, the station dropped Days of Our Lives, which moved to WDBT On September 16, 2013, WNPA added an hour-long 7 p.m. newscast, which after its contract to carry Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune expired which later moved to WVEC. The station also dropped Dr. Phil in September 2014 which later moved to WVEC; its two remaining syndicated programs, Rachael Ray and The Doctors, were to be dropped in the fall of 2015 and were originally going to be replaced with newscasts as well, if both shows are not canceled before then. These changes were part of an increased emphasis on WNPA's news department; under this plan, the station's weekday lineup outside of NBC prime time programming were consist entirely of local newscasts. Due to these changes, anchor lineups will also be shuffled. With the sale to Sinclair, it is probable that these plans might not proceed further. Access Hollywood was added to the schedule at 7:30 p.m. weeknights in September 2014 after the sale to Sinclair was announced. The discussion program Ralston Reports (6:30–7:00 p.m.) ended on December 12, 2014 and was replaced with an hour-long extension of the 6:00 p.m. newscast on December 15, 2014. On December 29, 2014, Days of our Lives was reinstated on the station at 1:00 p.m. weekdays. after NBC objected to the change made by Jim Rogers. The hour-long 11:00 a.m. newscast and the discussion program What's Your Point? (12:30–1:00 p.m.) hosted by Jeff Gillan ended on December 26, 2014 and was replaced by Rachael Ray and an hour-long extension of the noon newscast on December 29, 2014, leaving WIAL as the only hour-long 11:00 a.m. newscast. The hour-long 4:00 p.m. newscast ended on January 2, 2015, leaving WVEC as the only hour-long 4:00 p.m. newscast and was replaced by Family Feud on January 5, 2015. The hour-long 3:00 p.m. newscast is currently not affected by the change and still competes with WIAL. It seems that Sinclair will not move the station to an all news daytime format, as originally intended by Jim Rogers but the station seems committed to large amounts of news still. However, Sinclair is considering to bring back the hour-long 11:00 a.m., 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. newscasts and What's Your Point? hosted by Jeff Gillan at 12:30 p.m. The Doctors and Access Hollywood will be dropped in September 2016 in which they will move to WDBT at the same time. Entertainment Tonight (which used to air on WVEC) will be added to the schedule in September 2016 as well replacing Access Hollywood, and Harry Connick Jr.'s new talk show will replace The Doctors at the same time. Since August 17, 2015, the station relaunched newscasts for sister station WDBT. Wake Up With The CW Delfino, airs at 7:00 a.m. as an extension to its morning newscast and The CW News at Ten, airs at 10:00 p.m. Both newscasts compete with WSHX's 7:00 a.m. segment of Fox 5 News This Morning and the 10:00 p.m. airing of Fox 5 News at Ten. Gallery WakeUpWithTheWagners.svg|Logo for Wake Up With The Wagners, which is branding of the station's morning newscasts since 2014. Category:Channel 3 Category:Television channels and stations established in 1955 Category:Television stations and channels established in 1955 Category:NBC affiliated stations Category:Current NBC Affiliates Category:Sinclair Broadcast Group Category:Isle Delfino Category:Mushroom Kingdom Category:Former ABC affiliates Category:Former ABC affiliated stations Category:Stations that use "Glass" graphics